I'm Not Giving Up
by EyesDontTwinkle
Summary: Tony recruits Spidey, Rhodey and Happy to help him win back Pepper. Together they find adventure and some trouble along the way but can they really get Pepper to change her mind? Will Pepperony finally get its happy ending? MCUniverse :) (Set after Civil War)
1. Chapter 1

**I have come to fix what Marvel has ruined. Our beautiful pepperony pizza. This is my first Marvel fic actually lol. Alright so this is going to be set at the same time as Spiderman: Homecoming so expect lots of Spidey (also expect lots of Pepper and Tony) (Enjoy! Or you know don't, i'm not going to make you)**

Tony cruised over the tops of buildings in his usual hot rod suit over Queens. The bricks weaved around underneath him as he floated aimlessly. The town was unusually quiet today and clouds shrouded the skies. Tony hadn't felt like himself for a while now. He felt like at any second he could break down and cry and that was completely unlike him. The thought of breaking down itself made him want to barf but his life just hadn't been very peachy lately. He felt like he just needed a big break.

Helping the crime fighting spider was one of the only things that seemed to cheer him up. When he was just by himself he thought about Pepper, occasionally his mind would drift to his parents, and an overwhelming sense of regret tended to wash over him. Sometimes he would just stare at the shield his father had made for Cap with sadness and the hurt of betrayal.

Another thing that helped him keep his mind off all the things that had gone wrong and yet was one of the biggest reminders was the time he spent helping Rhodey get back on his feet. His best friend always had a fun happy spirit despite the things that had happened to him.

Tony landed with a thud outside of Peter's apartment. His metal suit opened up and he stepped out of it." Get on the roof and wait. Try to stay on high alert for once." He tapped the head of the suit and it flew off. Tony watched it go before turning around. He straightened out his jacket and stepped inside the musky lobby of the small apartment building. It always surprised him to see how small it was. He shook his head before heading upstairs. He knocked on Spider-lings door.

It quickly opened up and there stood Peter's attractive Aunt. Tony flashed a usual easy smile." Hello there." The brunette smiled right back at him." I'm assuming you're here for Peter again?" She took a step back, motioning for him to enter the apartment. Tony nodded, walking inside slowly." Mr. Stark! Didn't know you were coming by today." Peter hopped off the couch with raised eyebrows. He pushed his hair back and his lips lifted in a secret grin." Well the world is just full of surprises, isn't it?' Tony nudged the kid towards his room.

Peter gave Aunt May a look that said 'we'll-just-be-a-minute-or-so". He walked into his room and Tony trailed after him." If you've come to give me a new suit, I'm not complaining or anything, but I'm really just getting used to this one-"

"That's not why I'm here kid." Tony cut him off, glancing around the room with curious caramel eyes." Just came to check up on you, make sure you were okay." Peter looked down at himself before flashing Tony a thumbs up." Yeah, I think I'm alright for now."

Tony nodded, sitting on Peter's bed." No big evil bad guy loose in Queens at the moment?" He asked, staring at the posters hung up on Peter's wall. Peter tapped his chin before shaking his head." Not that I know of Mr. Stark...are you alright because you seem kind of out of it today." Peter waved a hand in front of Tony's face until he finally looked up at him with a classic eye roll.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Tony asked with a tired sigh. He was good at keeping his feelings to himself and appearing okay even if his insides told a different story. Peter shuffled his feet and scratched the back of his head." Yeah, I'm sure you, are. Mr. Stark is there a reason why you are here? There's no way you just came here to see me. I mean that's totally cool, you can do that if you want, but I just don't really see that happening like...ever."

Tony shrugged his shoulders before pausing for a moment. His eyes flashed with an idea." Yes, there is a reason. Meet me outside." He clapped a hand on Peter's shoulder before walking out of the room and through the living room." As always, a pleasure." He told Aunt May with a wink. He walked out of the room and headed down the stairs. He passed back through the lobby and stepped outside breathing in the afternoon air." F.R.I.D.A.Y send me my suit." He said and looked up towards the roof of the apartment. He saw a flash of bright red and his suit landed on the concrete beside him. It opened up and Tony stepped inside.

Comfortable and happy to be back in his suit again he relaxed. A few moments passed by and Tony tapped his metal wrist with a metal finger impatiently. His eyes scanned the sidewalk while he waited. He spotted a cat walking towards him and he crouched down beside it." Aw how cute." He murmured, running his hand over the cat's gorgeous black fur.

"Mr. Stark?" He heard the voice come from behind him. Tony internally groaned and quickly stood up." Right, lets go." He cleared his throat and spoke in a manlier voice than usual.

Peter held back the laugh trying to escape past his lips. He was already dressed up in his Spiderman suit." Where are we going anyway?" He asked curiously, the only response he got was the robotic noise of the Iron Man suit." Mr. Stark? Aren't you going to tell me where it is we are going?"

Peter watched the iron head turn towards him." Just keep up." Tony answered, taking off into the air." Of course." Peter muttered, he shot some webs at the building and flew through the air after Tony with questions on his mind.

Tony's suit flew through the city and he began to realize that the journey would be a long one. He kept his eye out on the horizon and for hours Tony flew with his suit and Peter hopped from building to building underneath him. Peter enjoyed the exercise and Tony appreciated the time to think. It was absolutely perfect but as quickly as it came it ended and the sun began to go down behind the trees.

Tony swooped lower with his suit." Hop on my back kid and enjoy the rest of your flight." He told Peter, who did so gratefully. He had begun to wear down and tire, not that he would admit the weakness to Tony. He let his eyelids fall closed as he clung to the Iron Man suit.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y get us to Malibu. It's time to straighten some things out and visit some old friends." Tony whispered before closing his eyes as well. The last thing he remembered was F.R.I.D.A.Y's voice before he fell asleep." As you wish sir."

 **As far as beginnings go, that one wasn't bad. ;) Lol anyway, not my best but it'll get better so hang tight with me people. Rhodey and Pepper and Happy are joining the cast in the next episode of: I Have No Idea What I'm Talking About Ever. Stay tuned.**


	2. Chapter 2

**And I'm back! Pretty quickly too, you've got to admit. This chapter will be muuch longer with many character visits! Always good to hear, right? Anyways, just read and review and follow and favorite and eat and do homework or just ignore everything I say and do what you want because you're EPIC like that. Just...read...please? Lol, enjoy a bit of torture pepperony people**

 **.**

"Sir? Sir?" F.R.I.D.A.Y's voice broke through Tony's sleep and his eyes fluttered open. He blinked several times, looking around." We are home sir." Tony smiled appreciatively, shaking Peter off of his back and stepping inside his house." This looks just like it used to." He stared at his newly built old home. **( I made it so that Tony rebuilt his old house where it used to be )**

"Oh how I have missed this." He sighed gratefully and closed his eyes just embracing the familiarity. His moment was disrupted when he heard Peter groan and get up off the floor behind him." Wow, this place is huge!" Peter shook his head, letting the remnants of sleep fall away. He hopped around the huge house, barely hearing Tony when he said." Don't break anything, I just got this place back up and running."

"I can't believe you rebuilt this whole thing." While Peter continued looking around in complete awe, Tony called Rhodey on his cellphone." You've got War Machine." Rhodey answered, getting a much needed laugh out of Tony." You really never let anything go." Tony said, a beautiful happy smile finally on his face again." Never Mr. Stank. Why are you calling me anyway, your money can't buy you a life?"

"Actually, I need your help on a top secret mission." Tony said, rubbing his chin, the hairs of his beard making a soft noise." How top secret exactly?" Rhodey asked, and Tony could imagine his friend's face complete with raised eyebrows and a 'this-is-going-to-be-bad-idea' expression. Tony didn't know how to answer that question and he ran a hand through his hair while he thought about it." It's-well...I guess you could say its personal." Tony heard a sigh on the other end of the line." I'm always here for you Tony. Of course I'll help." Tony smiled a little sadly." I know you are. Hey, bring Happy with you. No driving with those leg yet either. Meet me at my house, it's finally finished."

"You got it, War Machine out." Tony heard the line go dead and he put his phone back in his pocket. He swiveled around and saw Peter on the roof of his house." Get down from there Webhead." He said, watching Peter slowly come down to the ground with a piece of silky white string." It looks cool all upside down like that. You should try it sometime." Peter told Tony taking his Spiderman mask off of his head.

"Sure, I'll remember to do that...never." He smiled falsely and walked to his kitchen. He opened his fridge to find it empty." There is never any food in this house." He muttered before lifting his voice." Hey F.R.I.D.A.Y send somebody on a Starbucks run, would you?"

"I'll tell Happy to grab some shawarma on his way over." F.R.I.D.A.Y said in response and Tony gave a thumbs up of approval." Thank god you're a redhead and not a blond." He said under his breath.

"How many times must I tell you that I'm not a redhead?" F.R.I.D.A.Y said with an exasperated tone of voice but Tony simply ignored her." Spidey?" He called and not a second later Peter popped up beside him." Yes, Mr. Stark? Do you need me to fight somebody with you? I'll do better this time, I promise." Tony couldn't help an eye roll at the kid's enthusiasm." Doubt it. But that's not why you are here anyway."

Peter's eyebrows furrowed." It's not?" He gave Tony a puzzled look. His face quickly changed when he heard the doorbell." I'll get it!" He sped to the front door, throwing it open." Hey, I know you!"

Tony walked up behind Peter." Hey Rhodey." Happy waved his hands that were holding bags of food and Tony glanced over." Hello to you too shawarma." He laughed and stepped aside so they could come in. When Rhodey passed by he put an arm on Tony's shoulder." I was worried there for a while. You shouldn't go so long not telling anyone where you are and not responding to any calls." Tony nodded, staring almost shamefully at the floor." I'm trying to fix myself. It's just hard when all the pieces seem to be missing."

Rhodey nodded with an understanding but weak smile. He had spent a lot of time on it and finally he could walk with the contraptions Tony had made him. Not only that but he could walk well, like almost normally. Sometimes he didn't notice anymore. And never did he have a moment of regret about it.

Happy walked into the house."This really does look exactly the same." Happy couldn't help a smile." And there had better be a good reason why I am here because the head of security can't have a three hour lunch break when any crook could try to get into Stark Tower."

If it was just any other day he probably would have laughed at Happy's constant overthinking about bad guys and crooks but when Happy brought up Stark Tower all he could think about was Pepper. He tapped his fingers against his forearm almost nervously." Oh-um" Tony cleared his throat awkwardly." Have you seen Pepper lately? How is she by the way?" Tony felt like the room had just heated up ten degrees.

Happy shrugged casually." Yeah I have seen her. She's doing just fine I assume. She hasn't told me otherwise." Tony rubbed the back of his neck as the next question he thought of came bubbling out of his mouth." And is she seeing anybody right now?"

Something clicked in Happy's head and he gave Tony a sympathetic look." Right, I know the break up must have been hard. I was really sorry to hear about it." Tony tilted his head to the side." You didn't answer my question Happy." His brown eyes stared into Happy's and Happy couldn't hold his stare and quickly looked away.

"You probably don't want to know, it's just, I don't think she would want me to share something personal like that." Tony's eyes bore into Happy's skin." Yes." He said quietly." She is. Hey, but the other day I saw this really shady character walking around and I was like 'Hey buddy! Got a security card?'. He ran for the stairwell and I chased after him breaking out some serious kung-fu-"

Tony couldn't focus on Happy's words any longer. The thought of Pepper with another man not only made him feel sick but extremely angry. Tony tugged on his hair, thinking about _his_ Pepper being touched by someone other than him. He could barley keep up a fake smile." Lets eat." He took the bags of shawarma, holding them so tightly his knuckles were white as he walked to the kitchen. He dropped the food on the table.

Rhodey had heard the whole conversation and he pulled Tony to the side while Happy and Peter began to eat." It's going to be okay Tony." He said reassuringly but Tony didn't look convinced. His eyes were sad." Is it really? Can you say that with complete certainty? Rhodey, I can't-" He breathed in and breathed back out, afraid he might have an anxiety attack.

He felt Rhodey's hand rest on his back." You are Tony Stank? Okay? You can fix this, you can win her back. And we are all going to help you." Tony could barely manage a weak laugh but he no longer felt an anxiety attack coming on." You guys are going to help me?" He asked, just to make sure they were really there. That he really had these people in his life who cared.

Rhodey smiled." What do you think? Now pull yourself together because everyone is looking at you weird." Tony turned his head and saw Peter and Happy staring at him with mouths stuffed with shawarma.

 **HAHAHAHAHA I'M EVIL. Yeah so there is no Pepper this chapter. But next chapter, I swears, she will appear. (if all goes according to plan...) Anyways everyone have a nice day! Hope you liked it. I don't expect love this early on but like...I expect like.**


	3. Chapter 3

**OKAY this is actually going to be a long juicy chapter. Gosh reviews make me so happy guys so keep it up. Sorry, by the way, if this is just a tad bit confusing so far. Things will clear up though so just hang tight. I mean, this fic will always be a little random so if you can't take the heat, get out of the fireplace Chad! Adding some Pepper to the mixing bowl this chapter ;)**

It was a cool Malibu night and the sky was completely cloudless. The stars were shining bright in the sky beside a full moon. There was a soft glow washed over the town and there was a gorgeous breeze blowing in the air. It was a perfect peaceful night.

Outside of a restaurant sat a mysterious black van. If anyone cared to pay attention they would hear muffled noises coming from it. They would pause, cock their head to the side, and probably move on with just one cursory glance back.

"This is a terrible idea." Happy muttered from his seat in the back of the van." I can't believe I told you where Pepper's date was tonight. She would kill me if she knew." Tony rolled his eyes, putting a pair of high tech binoculars up to his eyes." I don't see anyone forcing you to stay." He said, watching Pepper through the lenses.

He hadn't seen her in so long and he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Her orange hair was down and falling to her shoulders. Her eyes were a bright crystal blue, just like he remembered them. She was in a gorgeous blue low cut dress and he thought about that night they had danced. It felt like ages ago now. He wanted to run to her and say he was sorry. That he should have tried harder to fix things. That he should have really given up the suits once and for all.

The thought quickly broke to pieces as he saw a man walk over to the table. Tony had to admit, the guy wasn't ugly. He had bright blonde hair and emerald green eyes. He smiled at Pepper and she smiled back at him. Tony felt like somebody was squeezing his heart. The man leaned down and pressed his lips against Pepper's. Tony felt the binoculars slip out of his hands.

"You know Tony, when I said we would help you win Pepper back, I did not mean like this." Rhodey spoke up with a sigh." You've just got to talk to her, face to face." Tony blinked a few times." That's the plan." His fingers tapped against a holographic screen." Call this number Spidey." He handed Peter a phone." I'll be right back."

Tony walked away from the van and towards the restaurant. Just like he had hoped Pepper's boyfriend, or whatever he was, got up to take the call. Tony stopped outside of the restaurant, almost nervously. He shook his head, shaking off the feeling. He stepped inside and made his way towards Pepper's table.

 _Oh god what am I going to tell her? Sorry, I was just stalking you from a black van like a creepy ex and now I want to talk to you about my feelings? Bleh gross. Do I even look okay? Who am I kidding? Of course I do. I'm Tony Stark. I am Iron Man. I can do this. But am I really enough for her?_

He pushed all the thoughts away and slowly slipped into the seat across from Pepper. Her eyes widened just like he imagined they would. For a second he couldn't think of anything to say." Hey Pep." Is all that came to his mind. He also imagined yelling, and a lot of it. But Pepper's voice was quiet.

"Tony? What are you doing here?"

"Not the response I was hoping for." Tony muttered under his breath before clearing his throat." I've uh..I've missed you. A lot. You know- Ive always. I have never been great at uh, you know the whole feelings thing. I just-have some things I just want to tell you." He sputtered out, running a hand through his thick auburn hair.

Pepper simply watched him. Her eyebrows raised ever so slightly. She didn't stop him but she didn't say anything. Her lips were pursed as she stared at him.

"Nothing? Okay, right, well. I would...um I was wrong. I've been wrong a lot lately so it should come as no surprise that yet again I have managed to screw up. Pepper, the truth is- well it complicated, you know? I mean its just-" Tony blew the air out of his cheeks." What I'm really trying to say to you is-" Tony paused, when he saw Pepper's gaze turn up towards someone else.

He looked up as well, finding himself staring up at Pepper's boyfriend. His head hurt at the thought of her with this schmuck." Right, sorry, I was just getting going actually." Tony slowly stood up, raking a hand through his hair for what felt like the millionth time that day. The man practically towered over Tony.

"Ah, the famous Tony Stark. Come to get your Pepper back?" The man asked, his tone was falsely amicable.

"Very confident of yourself I see. And cocky too. Very sexy." Tony backed up from the table, getting further and further away by the second. Pepper finally spoke up again." Let's talk later?"

"Maybe."

Tony got out of there as quickly as he possibly could. He enjoyed the coolness of the air once he stepped outside. His fingers played with his black jacket as he walked back towards the van. He rubbed his face and opened the door. Everyone stared at him expectantly." Lets go home." Is all he said, getting in the back of the car.

...

Once he got home, he told everyone they could get back to their lives. Rhodey and Happy headed back to their own houses. Tony told Peter he could stay because there were rumors of some sort of attack happening in Malibu tomorrow.

Tony walked around his house, reliving the moment from earlier in the night over and over in his head. It was almost 2 A.M but Tony was still down in his work shop, tinkering with the newest version of his Iron Man suit. He had made two new suits over the span of a week. One was silver and blue and the other was black and an orange color.

"Sir, you have 3 missed calls from Miss Potts." F.R.I.D.A.Y spoke up for the first time since they had gotten back. She had advised against the undercover plan and she didn't appreciate Tony's non compliance.

Tony tightened a screw on the suits arm a little too much." Ignore." He told F.R.I.D.A.Y, he desperately needed his mind off of things." Bring up all news about the attack tomorrow."

Tony's room which was in complete darkness before lit up with blue holographic projections. He read some of the articles and flipped some away." What are the chances that this attack will actually happen?" He asked, finding the information in front of him barely helpful." My calculations find that there is a 69% chance."

"So definitely?" Tony jumped onto his work table continuing to glance over any and all information he had." It's likely." Was F.R.I.D.A.Y's only response." You should work on that attitude. Now exact a location and time for me." He snapped his fingers and the holographic projections disappeared leaving Tony in darkness once again. The only light was a flickering lamp on his desk.

"Downtown Malibu. 2:38 in the afternoon."

"Don't bother me until 3. Now go get some sleep." Tony hopped off the table before walking up the stairs and out of his work space." As you wish sir." F.R.I.D.A.Y said as if she was about to yawn. Tony padded towards his room and fell back on his bed. His eyes slowly closed.

...

Tony's sleep was restless and he had woken up countless times throughout the night. Tony had always been an expert at disguising fear and insecurity in front of people but when he was alone with only his thoughts he was a wreck.

The next time he woke up, the sun had come up over the horizon and Tony couldn't force himself back to sleep so easily. He slowly got up, noticing he was still in the same clothes from the other night. He got up, walking to his closet. He threw on a different pair of casual clothes, a blue shirt and a pair of jeans, before walking downstairs. He headed over to the bar and poured himself a drink.

"Morning drinking. Classy as usual sir." F.R.I.D.A.Y said with a hint of sarcasm. She sometimes seemed awfully and painfully real." Did I ask for your input?" Tony muttered under his breath, taking a sip of his drink.

"No sir you did not. I'm just looking out for your health. I've also decided to call Miss Potts." Tony's eyes widened then narrowed." I don't remember asking you to do that." F.R.I.D.A.Y didn't answer and Tony heard the ring of a phone." Hang that up, please." Tony groaned, dropped his head in his hands." Tony?"

The sound of her voice made him automatically feel just a little bit better. Tony closed his eyes, not lifting his head. He didn't say anything, he ran both of his hands through his hair fretfully." Tony? Listen, I'm not sure if you are there or not but I just want to say that..I care about you." Tony squeezed his eyes shut tighter.

"And I really, truly hope that you're doing well. But I also know you need your suits. And I can't live with that feeling in my stomach. That feeling of never knowing when you'll come back or even if you'll be okay when you do." There was a small sigh on the other end of the line.

"What if I gave it all up? For real this time. What if I never made another suit again." Tony finally spoke up and lifted his head a little as he did so.

"Tony.." Her voice was barely above a whisper." I have a boyfriend."

Tony felt reality come crashing back down on him." Right." He made an X with his arms and the line cut off." Ever do anything like that again and I'll find someone to replace you F.R.I.D.A.Y. I swear you'll never see the light of day again." Tony walked downstairs, his skin felt like it was on fire.

"Time to test out some new equipment." He glanced at his watch." And I'm already an hour early." He stepped into his silver and blue suit. He walked a step, finding it working beautifully. His interface lit up with all sorts of new and complicated additions. Tony flew to where Peter had fallen asleep on the couch." Get up kid, it's about time you got a little experience fighting off some real bad guys."

 **I know what you're thinking.'THis is the worst!'. I agree, whole-heartedly, but in the end all will be well. All will be well. Or you know I'll switch things up and make this an evil story where all will NOT be well. Lol guess you will just have to wait and see what happens. Drop some reviews! I love reading them and they always make me laugh. (Sorry to all my pepperony people. New pizzas are coming your way soon, don't fret)**


	4. Chapter 4

**EYO. I update so fast for you guys. Because I care and at the moment nothing big is happening and I have minimal homework. This chapter shows you how Pepper and Tony broke up (my take on it anyway). And the BATTLE. Things are about to get interesting so read up! :)**

 _Tony remembered his promise to Pepper. He remembered his decision to blow up his suits. He also knew all the risks involved with going behind her back to make just one more. He would make sure to sneak off to his work space when she was at work or when she had some big important meeting. Getting caught was the worst case scenario. And he thought there was no way that could happen._

 _One day Tony was down in his lab, sure that Pepper had already gone off to work. He was working on his one final suit. It was going to be a classic. Red and orange. He was crouched down beside the suit, tweaking a leg when he picked up on footsteps coming from behind him. He stood up and spun around, seeing Pepper with an obvious disappointed look on her face. Tony nearly flinched._

 _"I knew it Tony. I thought you were done with all this!" Pepper couldn't hide how upset she was to find him doing all this again. Making another suit. Making his deathbed." You promised me that you were done."_

 _Tony pushed a strand of hair out of his eyes with a greasy hand." I know. And I am Pepper. After this one. This is my last one." He said, a new promise hanging onto his words. Pepper shook her head vigorously." When will it end? Soon you'll decide you need two to just store away. Tony, you need to give it a rest!"_

 _"Well I also have to protect you Pepper! I can't do that if I don't have a suit stored up. It's a back up plan. Just in case."_

 _"Tony, I don't have a just in case! I don't even want to think that someone would do something so terrible that you still need a suit. You can always save me Tony. Just by being yourself." Pepper gave him a tired look. One that was on the brink of giving up._

 _Tony looked at the ground then back up at her." I-" He began but Pepper cut him off._

 _"And how can I live when there's a chance you won't come home? Because when you have a suit Tony you are going to feel the need to save everybody. But there are other people out there who can help. It doesn't always have to rest on your shoulders alone."_

 _Tony rubbed his greasy hands on his jeans." I know that. I do. But do you remember when I first started making the suits and I told you that in my heart I knew it was right?" He waited until Pepper nodded." I can't just give it all up like that. I can help people Pepper. And I promise to not use the suit unless someone really needs me."_

 _Peppers voice lowered, it was soft and broken." I understand that Tony. But I think I need...a break from the suits. I think I need a little bit of time where I don't constantly worry about you or even...even me."_

 _Tony stared at her, the chocolate in his eyes melting but his gaze unwavering." What are you saying?" His voice grew detached, his legs felt frozen to the spot." Pepper. What are you trying to say?"_

 _Pepper breathed in a shaky breath." I think...we should take a break-"_

" **Mr. Stark?** Hey, Mr. Stark?" Peter broke Tony out of his reverie." Look!" Tony looked up at the sky, his heart still burning from the memory that had popped up in his head. Coming straight at them was some sort of robot." Hammer Industries?" Tony read the writing on the side of the robot." F.R.I.D.A.Y?"

"Goes by the name Detroit Steel. Like you said, a robot made by Hammer Industries." **(for any comic book people this isn't accurate at all I'm just going to use him as a bad guy. sorry if this kills you a little bit inside)** The robot seemed to tower over the city. People nearby fled as far as they could. Just like all Hammer tech it had weapons littered all over it. The color of the metal on the robot was strangely close to his older suits. Red and orange. The classic.

" Well we've never been beaten by Hammer Industries before, so let's not start now." Tony flew up to the robot." I'm going to have to ask you to kindly go back to where you came from." He said, with both humor and a warning in his tone. Detroit Steel raised an arm and knocked Tony to the ground. Tony flew through the air, falling onto a patch of concrete that practically broke to pieces on impact. Tony groaned, shaking rubble off of his suit." Web up his legs, like last time." He directed Peter, standing up off the ground. He brushed off his suit patiently.

"On it!" Peter threw some webs at one of the legs before spinning around, tying the legs of the robot up as fast as he could. The power of the bad guy's suit was almost breaking the silky white string." I can't hold him for long Mr. Stark!"

Tony flew up the back of the robot, looking for a panel. His eyes searched and finally he found one. He forced it open with his metal hands. He pulled out as many wires as he could. He assumed he pulled the right ones because the robot began to power down." We did it and freakishly fast too." He said, distracted for a brief fleeting moment, he threw his helmet off of his head." Can't help but give some of the new adjustments some credit."

"Watch out!" He heard Peter say but before Tony could register why he was saying it, Detroit Steel fell right on top of him. The world was suddenly dark. There was no more sound. There was no more light.

 _"A break?" Tony repeated, as if he didn't fully understand the words she was saying." Not forever. But I feel like I need some time to really figure things out." Pepper said, biting down on her lower lip." You get it, don't you?"_

 _"Not really. A break? Pepper, I have known you for so long and I would never expect that you would give up on me." Tony shook his head." Not that I don't deserve it or anything." He could barely process what was happening. Pepper couldn't look at him." I'm not giving up on you, I think we could both just use some time apart."_

 _"I completely disagree with that." Tony felt his legs moving him towards her." I don't ever want to be apart from you." Pepper felt with him so close to her, she wouldn't be able to go through with it. She looked up at him and she almost felt the need to clutch her heart." Me neither." She admitted, and Tony took the opportunity to lean towards her._

 _Their lips met and danced in perfect harmony. It was a sweet, passionate kiss shared between two people who were terribly right for each other. A spark ignited between them but the contentment was short lived because Pepper leaned away using all the will power she had." That doesn't change anything." She whispered, but her fingers traced her lips. She never wanted to forget that feeling. Tony sighed, looking into her eyes. His fingers grazed her cheek. His head tilted just a little to the right." I know."_

 _And he watched her pull away, slowly, like it hurt her to do it. And he watched her walk out the room and out into the hallway with his heart in her hands. He sat down on the ground. His iron man suit came to life and sat down beside him. They stayed like that for a while._

 **"No!"** Peter ran towards Detroit Steel, lifting it with all the power contained in his tiny body. He threw it aside." Mr. Stark! Oh god!" Peter put a hand to his mouth when he saw all the blood on Tony's face. He saw that the suit was still operational." F.R.I.D.A.Y, is he okay? Please, please tell me he's okay." He didn't hear her say anything. "F.R.I.D.A.Y!" His eyes scanned the destroyed road. He practically flew through the air and grabbed Tony's helmet. He raced back to Tony and placed the helmet gently over his head. He watched the lights on the masks eyes light up." Is he...is he alive?" Peter put his head against the mask waiting for F.R.I.D.A.Y's voice.

" I-I...I don't know."

 **Don't you just love a good cliffhanger like that? I'm pretty much a terrible human being..sorry? Anyways, might want to check out the new chapter to find out what happened. Writing the break up was killer though, I hope it got you all mushy too. You guys, I'm slowly beginning to think that this is kind of a little bit..angst? Review or something!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Blah blah blah, you get it. My comments aren't all that great anyway and you just want to know what happened to Tony. Just read already, I'll see you at the end but: (Side note for those who care about this story, I have some goals in mind for where I want to be follower/favorite/review wise (10 each) so when I reach those goals I'll put up the next chapter and I'll make it as long as you guys want it to be)**

"What do you mean? How do you not know?" Peter felt himself get angry." Just tell me if he's okay!" F.R.I.D.A.Y slowly began to speak." Something seems to be wrong with my system."

"I don't care!" Peter couldn't calm himself down." Oh god, oh god." He glanced around slowly beginning to notice the crowd that had begun to gather around him. Peter closed his eyes for a second and then opened them back up. He scooped Tony up off the ground with the suit still on him." Everybody form a pathway." His voice was more demanding than it had ever been before.

People began to move aside but Peter knew walking would be too slow anyway. He shot webs at a building and pulled himself towards the hospital, leaving the destruction of the city street behind him. He couldn't move as quickly while holding Tony and every second that went by felt like an hour.

Peter reached the hospital and smashed through the front door. He couldn't bring himself to care." Tony, he-he needs help." Everybody was staring at him and nobody moved a muscle." Please, you've got to help him."

The nurses and doctors sprang into action. Peter didn't understand why they needed him to prompt them. It was Tony. They brought over a stretcher and placed his friend on it." F.R.I.D.A.Y can you open up the suit?"

" I believe so." The suit slowly came apart. Peter always thought Tony seemed bigger without the suit. He had such a confident way about himself, and the ability to capture everybody's eye when he walked into the room. He seemed smaller now.

Peter pulled the suit out from under him. It came back together, as ruffed up and destroyed as it was, and stood beside Peter. Together they watched Tony as he was wheeled out of the room.

...

 _Beep beep. Beep beep._

Throughout the day people came and went. Rhodey was the first to arrive and he had been sitting in an uncomfortable seat since. Happy had stopped by 5 times. He would come by, think of some random unnecessary thing he 'needed to do', and then he would leave again. He couldn't bear seeing Tony like that.

Peter would stand by the hospital bed, staring at Tony as if he thought there was something he could of done to stop it. He would circulate through the hospital and never even grab a coffee. The walks took about 10 minutes. He would come back into the room and repeat it all over again.

Pepper stopped by an hour after he had been admitted. For a while she just swayed in the doorway. Then she came to the bed and squeezed Tony's hand. She sat in the chair beside Rhodey. After that she crouched beside the bed, whispering things nobody else could hear. Nobody remembered exactly when she had left. She hadn't even tried to make up an excuse about why.

Occasionally F.R.I.D.A.Y would mutter things like: "How long has it been?" "Is my system down?" "Sir? Sir? Where are you?"

No one ever answered.

...

Tony's eyes shot open. He tried to sit up but his head began to spin and he decided it wasn't a good idea. He squinted in the dark, seeing odd shapes in the room. He looked up at the monitor beside him and began to follow a tube with his eyes. It was attached to his skin.

 _'What the hell?'_

He yanked it off of his arm and the monitor began going crazy beside him." Shh-" He glared at the monitor as if it had done something wrong and deserved some form of punishment.

The lights flickered on.

Tony shielded his eyes." God! A little warning next time? Why are tubes stuck in me anyway? Like what is up with that-"

Four pairs of eyes were staring at him.

"Why are you guys staring at me like that? And why does my head hurt so much?" He watched as a nurse walked in and put the tube back in his arm. She left quickly, leaving the group to their small reunion.

Happy ran straight into Tony's arms." We missed you man! We were worried we were going to lose you!"

Tony patted Happy's back, one side of his mouth twitched upward." Really? It's me. I avoid death on a daily basis." He looked over Happy's shoulder. Rhodey stood to the side with an enormous smile on his face. Next to him was his iron man suit." Sir! I'm thrilled you're alright!" F.R.I.D.A.Y said with real happiness in her voice. And on the opposite side of the room was Pepper. Her expression was one of relief. She gave him a weak smile.

"Hey, where's Spiderboy?" Tony sounded dismayed, he glanced around the room again.

"He had to go home. But he told me he was going to call you as soon as his flight was over." Pepper spoke up. Her voice was hoarse and her eyes seemed shinier than usual. Tony stared at her as Happy slowly began to pull away.

"Well, now that you're okay, I have security business to attend to." Happy straightened out his jacket and headed for the door." I can feel the love." Tony muttered, watching Happy go." Glad you're okay!" Happy called from the hallway. A chuckle made it past Tony's lip.

"Who else is abandoning me?" He raised his eyebrows at Rhodey then Pepper.

Rhodey walked up to the bed." Don't you ever scare me like that again. You hear me Tony? Never ever." Tony pulled his best friend into a hug, closing his eyes and just enjoying the simple comfort." I hear you. I was just expecting a few more ever's."

Rhodey laughed and Tony felt the rumble against his chest. Rhodey pulled away and Tony let him." Now I have some sleep I need to catch up on." He walked out of the room." War Machine out!"

"Oh come on!" He thought he heard a laugh from the hallway. Tony's eyes moved to Pepper. His Pepper.

"I'm open to more hugs?" Tony offered turning his head for a second to glance towards his suit." Power down." The lights from the suit dimmed and the head of the suit drooped. Pepper shook her head, but she slowly made her way towards him.

"This is what I feared would happen." She murmured, her fingers fluttered over the bruise on his forehead. Tony looked up at her." Well, I'm really okay now."

Pepper shook her head at him." You have a concussion, two broken ribs and a fractured arm."

Tony shrugged." Hadn't even noticed." He had been acutely aware of the injuries ever since he had woken up.

He smiled up at her." I'm glad you are here." He took her hand in his own." I was beginning to think you didn't care about me."

"I don't care about you?" She said incredulously." Tony, I love you."

Tony's eyes snapped up to hers." Wh-what?" He cleared his throat and his grip tightened on her hand." What did you say?" Pepper's eyes widened as she realized her words had slipped up." I-nothing. I said nothing." She attempted to pull her hand away but Tony wouldn't let her." I seem to remember something coming out of that pretty little mouth of yours." A blush filled Pepper's cheeks." And I also remember something about a boyfriend."

"Well at least we know your memory is intact." Pepper couldn't tear her eyes away from him as she sat on the bed beside him. Tony sat up, ignoring the pain it caused. His eyes fell to her lips." Why aren't you stopping me?"

"Because you almost died. And all I could think about was how miserable the rest of my life was going to be. Without you."

An unknown force pushed him forward and his lips landed on hers. They fit perfectly. The sound of the world was drowned out, just playing in the background. His hand became intertwined in her hair and he felt her hands resting on the indent of his chest. Where his arc reactor used to be. His lips tingled and moved against hers hungrily, with burning desire. All he knew is that he needed more of this. More of her. She was everything he would ever need.

Her lips were soft and warm and had the power to take all the pain in his body away. All his longing was poured into the kiss. All of his restless lonely nights. All of his soul. He could have stayed like that forever. With her in his arms. He wanted to pull her impossibly closer.

Slowly and reluctantly Tony pulled away for a breath of air. His eyelids lifted with difficulty. His chest was heaving underneath the hospital gown. Pepper stared at him for only a moment longer before rushing out of the door. Tony's eyebrows furrowed, and he ran a hand through his overgrown brown hair. She was gone so fast Tony was left thinking it was only a dream.

Tony leaned his head back on the pillow with a sigh. He tugged at the hair on his head with frustration. He heard his phone ring and he picked it up off the table beside the bed." Talk to me."

"Mr. Stark?" Peters voice came from the other end of the line. His voice was laced with elation and a hint of concern.

"Who else?" Tony's fingers fiddled with the hospital blanket that was covering the bottom half of his body.

"You have no idea how nice it is to hear your voice. I was so worried about you! And I can't help but feel like this is all my faul-"

"Hey, kid, don't blame yourself. If this is anybody's fault its Detroit Steel's. And maybe mine a little bit."

Peter sighed." Yeah, I-I know. It's just, I don't understand why your suit didn't hold up against that robot."

There was a brief moment of silence.

 _Probably because I accidentally began to open the suit and then a huge robot fell on top of me and my suit closed up a little too slowly. Oh, you're wondering why I opened the suit? Well it was because I was planning on falling to the ground in a superhero pose. Because I really think things through._

"Weird, I know." Is all Tony said on the matter." Shouldn't you be asleep or something?"

Peter laughed." We are in different time zones now Mr. Stark." Tony heard shuffling on Peter's end of the line.

"Right, right." Tony rubbed the bruise on his head. He could still feel Pepper's fingers pressed against it." Look, I'm going to try to get some sleep. You should too."

Peter paused for a moment." ...sure Mr. Stark. I'll call in later."

Tony rolled his eyes playfully."Don't expect me to pick up." A second laugh came from Peter's end of the line. The boy said his goodbyes before hanging up. Tony put his phone back on the table next to him. With everyone gone, he finally let himself relax. He slowly fell back asleep with one person on his mind.

...

"Trust me nurse, I'm fine. I just need to get home." Tony had already put on his old clothes and a pair of sunglasses, despite being indoors and he put a sling around his neck for his arm. The doctors and nurses protested his release, telling him he should stay just a few more days, but Tony was ready to go home." If anything out of the ordinary happens I'll make sure to call 911. Or 411. Maybe 611?"

He walked over to his iron man suit, tapping his knuckles against the metal mask." F.R.I.D.A.Y can you get this thing walking?"

"Sure can Mr. Stark. And may I say, it's indeed a pleasure to hear your voice once again."

"You may." Tony swept past the hospital personnel, heading out of the gloomy grey building with his suit trailing behind him. He pulled the cap off his water bottle with his teeth and popped a painkiller in his mouth. He took a long sip of the water." Can you estimate healing time for these injuries?"

" As soon as you get us home, I'll do just that." Tony walked up to his car, opening the door. He sat down in the drivers seat, putting his water bottle in the cup holder beside himself." And are people supposed to drive if they have lingering concussions and a fractured arm?" The iron man suit opened the passenger door and sat down in the seat beside Tony.

"No, sir they are not."

Tony groaned and put his head against the steering wheel." Well too bad." He put the keys into the ignition and twisted them, bringing the car to life. He began to back out of the parking space." Sir, I really advise against this. Happy brought your car so he could drive you himself."

"Then why were the keys in my pocket?" He headed out of the parking lot and turned onto the road." I'd call it a momentary lapse of judgement on Happy's part."

Tony shook his head with a smile. He stayed silent for the rest of the drive, focusing on the road. Once they finally got home, Tony pulled into the driveway. His focus shifted to Pepper who was standing in front of the door to his house.

" Good luck sir." Tony glanced over and watched the iron man suit power down before his eyes flew back to her. He slowly got out of the car and began towards the house. His eyes were only on her. As if there was nothing else in the universe worth looking at.

"Have you come to talk about what happened back at the hospital?" Tony could still feel the heat from the passion filled kiss against his lips. He watched her, waiting for a reaction. He only sensed anger.

"Tony, why aren't you _at_ the hospital? You weren't supposed to be released yet! I just got a call from the doctor treating you and she sounded extremely concerned. You can't just do whatever you want all the time." Pepper purposely avoided Tony's question.

He walked a step closer to her." She was definitely into me." He joked but it sounded lame, even to himself. "So we aren't going to talk about the kiss but we can talk all day about all the wrong decisions I make?"

Pepper pursed her lips." It was- it was a mistake. And no, I don't really want to talk about it so lets just pretend it never even happened." Pepper cleared her throat and pushed her bangs out of her eyes.

Tony shook his head." I can't do that. And we both know it wasn't a mistake." He stepped closer.

"It's not going to happen again. Now can we please just talk about your health and move past this?" Pepper sighed and crossed her arms over her chest." What we did was wrong."

"Wrong?" Tony frowned." Yeah, maybe...but I don't think-, not really that wrong. At least it felt right, didn't it? Pepper I know this can't be completely one-sided. I may have been on too many painkillers but I remember every word you said." Pepper stayed silent but he could hear her teeth grinding together. And she wouldn't look at him." I was being overemotional and plus I have a b-" Pepper began but Tony cut her off.

"Yes, you've mentioned that before." Tony couldn't hear her say the word about someone other than him. At least not again." And did you tell him about what happened?"

"How is your head by the way?" Pepper dodged another question. Tony let it slide this time, the fact that she hadn't told her significant other gave him just a sliver of hope. The sliver was almost microscopic but it was enough. Tony shrugged and rubbed the bruised area on his forehead. "Not too bad. I'm doing okay."

Pepper nodded." Good, I'll see you around." She attempted to walk by him but just before she got out of his reach Tony grabbed her wrist gently." I'm not just going to give up." He felt her shake off his grip and walk to her car. He didn't move until she was long gone. Probably already miles away.

 **Done! Longest chapter yet and probably the best one yet too. Would you guys like it if I made all my chapters like this long? Or maybe even longer? Please tell me I would love some feedback. All reviews, follows, and favorites are MUCH appreciated (read side note at very beginning if you skipped it). Also, THAT PEPPERONY KISS THO LIKE I READ OVER IT AND I WAS LIKE DYING IT WAS SO CUTE. YOU'RE WELCOME. Anyways, have an awesome day :)**


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